How was your spring bank-holiday weekend? Was it full of good things like fun, sun and amazing music? That means you must have been to Evolution 2013 at Newcastle Gateshead quayside. Yes! It’s that time of year again: the biggest music event on the northeast of England’s calendar. Evolution only started in 2002, but it’s had some incredible artists and bands performing there since then, such as: Maximo Park, The Enemy, Dizzie Rascal, Iggy and the Stooges, Two Door Cinema Club, Tinie Tempah and Plan B. 

The festival organisers were expecting big crowds, with the sun shining and this year’s line-up, which attracted a good number of people. The majority of the audience consisted of groups of teenagers, who were out to party and have a good time. The festival being held over two days and conveniently located on the Newcastle Gateshead quayside, which is very easily accessible.  

Evolution has two mega stages (Spillers Wharf and Ballast Hills). 

Sunday 26th May 

Big Beat Bronson and Mojaxx got the music under way with most of the younger revellers staying at the Ballast stage. Later, Martin Longstaff of The Lake Poets took to the stage and performed a couple of acoustic numbers before being joined by his band members. They're a local band from Sunderland, and you could really relate to Longstaff's incredible songwriting about life and the area.

Raleigh Randall was met with some screams from the audience, but that was due to a rat scampering among the crowd’s feet. It was caught by a heroic security man, who removed it from the area. Then there was The Strypes, a four-piece rhythm-and-blues band from Cavan, Ireland, formed in 2011; they had a good retro sound with a modern twist, sounding like The Rolling Stones but with an alternative indie vibe. Rudimental was next to delight, a band from Hackney, London. They got everyone excited; was it due to their chart success or their funny antics like playing the spoons?

I spoke to a lot of people over the course of the day, and they were mostly excited about Ellie Goulding and The Vaccines. Ellie came on stage to a massive roar and chants of her name; I think this was one of the highlights of the day for the cheering crowd. The Vaccines were next up, and they introduced their gig with Mark Knopfler’s Local Hero, which got the crowd singing even before they came onto the stage. I think these guys had done their homework. They played their set with a lot of tracks from their debut album, such as Wreckin’ bar, Wetsuit and Post-break-up Sex. I've seen them a few times, and they've been better. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed.

Monday 27th May 

Monday was very similar, with a diverse line-up, but this time with some flamboyant costumes to behold. Boy Jumps Ship opened the proceedings on the Spillers Wharf Stage, a four-piece rock band based in Newcastle; you could tell they're influenced by many forms of rock. They've been getting a lot of media attention lately, so could be a good band to keep an eye on. Lulu James, another local artist from South Shields, who appeared on the Jools Holland show a while back, emerged onto the stage with a most revealing costume, in the trend of Lady Gaga. She only started playing live gigs in October of last year but commanded the stage as if she had been doing it a lot longer. I would describe her as a soul singer with modern beats; she look's set have a big future ahead of her.

Another crowd favourite was Bastille; a lot of new excited fans had gathered to see them. They were like U2 meets Kings of Leon, so appealed to boys and girls--a formula for success. They played a cover version of Rhythm of the Night, which the crowd loved immensely.

Next came Jake Bugg. I was very impressed with his guitar collection, as he switches from one to another for nearly every song. He has burst onto the scene and has a great fan-base. Let’s hope he can make his next album as good. His performance was excellent and well ahead of his years and Jake got the crowd singing at every opportunity.

Now for the top of the bill: Paloma Faith: she had some serious competition from the Ballast Hills Stage, as that became a sell-out for Sub Focus, a drum-and-bass, house, dubstep band.  But Paloma’s crowd was also big, everyone had gathered at both stages for the grand finale that didn't disappoint. Paloma, with her extravagant costumes, sang out her hits, such as New York, Just Be, and Never Tear Us Apart had the whole mass of people waving their hands from side to side. And finally, after introducing her band to everyone, sang us all out with Picking Up The Pieces.

I know this festival use to be free, but in today’s financial climate, you can’t go wrong with a ticket for two days of quality music. The cost of a weekend ticket was very reasonable: probably what you would pay to see one top artist for a show lasting an hour and a half.

The facilities and catering were of a high standard. All the staff I came in contact with was very helpful. The Weather held out for us the second day, so we were lucky.

Review by Garry Urwin  29/05/13 photos Dave hudspeth